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Home My WebLink About03-23-10SANTA ANA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE PUBLIC SAFETY Minutes of Meeting March 23, 2010 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was convened at 5:45 p.m. at Santa Ana Police Department, 60 Civic Center Plaza, 4'h Floor, Santa Ana, California. ATTENDANCE Councilmembers present: Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, and Sal Tinajero. Staff present: Police Chief Paul Walters, Fire Chief Marc Martin, Deputy City Attorney Theresa Judd, Chief Assistant City Attorney Jose Sandoval, Mgr. Will Hayes, Cmdr. Doug McGeachy, Cmdr. Ken Gominsky, Sgt. Lorenzo Carrillo, and Loretta Tafoya, Recording Secretary. Public sign-ins: Connie Hamilton, Dave Brandt, Roy and Julie Melcher, Don and Shirley Harrelson, Raul Godinez II, Ray Burk, Barbara Lamere, Carl Benninger, Matt Maciha, Thomas Gordon SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS 1 • APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approved Minutes of the January 26, 2010 meeting. 2• GRAFFITI UPDATE -Will Hayes Will Hayes spoke on the Graffiti Task Force 2010 Action Plan. The Task Force Activity will be posted on the City Website. Will Hayes reviewed the comparison Analysis ordinance amendments. He also stated 80% to 90% arrests are juveniles. Based on information received from staff, the Courts have recognized the City of Santa Ana as a victim of vandalism and have awarded the City restitution even before these recent amendments. The Probation Department collects restitution on behalf of the City and there is a good working relationship between the agencies. Therefore, there has been no significant change as a result of these amendments to state law. 3. DIAMOND WATER WELL UPDATE Chief Assistant City Attorney Jose Sandoval stated that the residents signed a resolution to release full authority over the well. Councilmember Sal Tinajero was happy with outcome. Councilmember David Benavides asked if State officials were aware of this issue. Jose reported that the State does know about the problem and discussed available options. The State Officials preferred to seek funding from grant sources rather than the imposition of a receivership. An income survey of residents was completed and the State Officials believe that the Water Company has an excellent chance of getting a state grant for transitioning to City service. 4. UPDATE ON RELEASE OF PRISONERS Chief Walters explained county inmates can reduce their sentences by as much as one day for every day served through credits for good behavior and by completing programs that could reduce recidivism. As of this date, approximately 500 inmates have been released. If new California Assembly Bill 1395 is approved, it would remove the day-for-day credit for inmate state prison sentences who are serving their time in county jails. This would result in the reduction of the inmate early-release rate into our community without the supervision of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 5. ACTIVE GANG AREA MAP & STOP ACCOMPLISHMENTS Det. Sgt. Lorenzo Carrillo stated the Enforcement Unit is focusing attention on the suppression of illegal gang activities. They are accomplishing this through aggressive street level enforcement, intelligence gathering, and the development of gang expertise. They are responsible for maintaining high visibility in the community and working in a proactive manner along with personnel from Orange County Probation and State Parole. GPS bracelets are now disseminated. The S.T.O. P. Teams have adjusted their hours to assist. Chief Walters complimented the Faith Based organizations and citizen groups. Committee Member Benavides thanked Cmdr. Ibarra and wanted a copy of the PowerPoint he presented. Committee Member Claudia Alvarez asked about the origin of the confiscated weapons. Det. Sgt. Carrillo stated they were not stolen. Chief Walters said we do a lot of gun comparison. ATF also works with us on the background of a weapon. Committee Member David Benavides wants a gang map for Healthy Communities. Chief Walters stated Washington D.C. announced we are number one in crime solving, 6. DUI CHECKPOINTS Commander Doug McGeachy reviewed the Santa Ana Police Department DUI Checkpoint Program and explained why we conduct DUI Checkpoints. Checkpoint requirements require a partnership with the community and obtain judicial & prosecutorial support. He also stated that the Police Department selects the location by identifying parts of the City with high incidence of DUI collisions, arrests, and traffic volume. Cmdr. McGeachy also stressed the importance of education. The DUI Multi-Media Trailer is a good teaching tool. Committee Member Claudia Alvarez asked if the bar establishments in the City were a significant cause of DUI arrests. Cmdr. McGeachy stated that people drink everywhere and he couldn't say that those establishments were a significant cause of the arrests. Committee Member David Benavides asked if checkpoints are funded with grants. Cmdr. McGeachy stated that all check points are funded primarily through grants awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). OTS requires that check points begin after 1800 hours and use of specific language on the warning signs. He also stressed that the Police Department does not target any particular location. DUI check points are geographically dispersed across patrol districts. For example, last DUI checkpoint, all arrests were from citizens that lived outside the City. 7. STORAGE OF PRIVATE PROPERTY Deputy City Attorney Teresa Judd stated the City is complying with state law regarding the storage of found property by storing it for a period of 4 months, even though each department may have different procedures in doing so. Direct involvement by a police officer is not legally necessary for City staff to store 2 property, and no additional legislation by the City should be required to authorize employees to store the found property with approval by a police officer. Committee Member Claudia Alvarez asked how we decide what the property is worth. Dep. City Attorney Judd stated the City has a standard price list. Committee Member Claudia Alvarez asked if people actually picked up the property and Dep. City Attorney Judd did not know. 8. INTERACTIVE ROLL CALL Commander Ken Gominsky introduced the Police Department's new Interactive roll-call. He made a presentation showing the new multi-media information tool. Instead of handing out "Wanted" posters, they are able to show videos on TV screens in roll-call and directly to the patrol units. The patrol officers in the field are now receiving updated information regarding criminal activity or wanted persons. 9. PUBLIC COMMENTS Citizen's main concern is the graffiti problem. They want the Police Department to look into the restaurant that is handing out papers for customers to put their graffiti on it and post on wall. Teresa Judd is going to research the legalities. The citizens of the W/E neighborhood are concerned about the shopping carts. Committee Member Claudia Alvarez said it's Code Enforcement's responsibility to address the shopping carts, not the police department. 10. COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS Committee Member David Benavides thanked the citizens for attending the meeting. He stated the presentations build confidence and the Westend community works very hard. Committee Member Sal Tinajero acknowledged the strength of our community. Committee Member Claudia Alvarez thanked everyone for their questions and feedback. 13. ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING A. Graffiti Update 14. NEXT MEETING DATE to Tuesday, May 25, 5:30 pm, Santa Ana Police Facility, 60 Civic Center Plaza, 4 Floor conference room, Santa Ana, California. ADJOURNMENT - 7:50 P. M. -~ ,~ ~ ~ ~~ PAUL M. WALTERS Chief of Police It 3